Are We Angels?
by Tehri
Summary: Are we angels?" Juushirou is thinking of something special on his birthday, and Shunsui is, as always, there to cheer him up and explain it all.


It was a beautiful day in late December, and the snow already laid thick on the ground and the rooftops. The sun was shining, but did nothing to melt the cold white blanket over the world, and the wind was faint and cold. And up on a rooftop in Seireitei sat a man clad in black and white, with snow-white hair and pale skin and hazel eyes, and calmly gazed over the now so calm residence of the shinigami. A gentle smile was on his face, and his eyes sparkled almost like stars.

Shunsui chuckled as he climbed up on the roof and stepped over to his old friend.

"Should you really sit out here, Juushirou", he asked. "It's cold, you know."

Juushirou glanced over his shoulder and smiled warmly, but didn't reply. So Shunsui sat down next to him and leaned back, producing his jug of sake and two cups seemingly out of thin air (Juushirou had learned already at the beginning of their acquaintance not to ask about it; the man apparently wanted to keep his secret safe), filled the cups and then handed one to his friend.

"It's a perfect day", he said with a smile. "Let's drink to that: the most perfect winter's day we've had in decades."

Juushirou laughed and took the cup.

"For once, I agree", he chuckled. "I haven't seen such a beautiful day in many years now. It makes me think of last time..."

The last time Seireitei had such a wonderful day, the two captains had gotten drawn into a snowball-fight that some of the vice-captains had started. It had started between Matsumoto Rangiku and Abarai Renji (in fact, it had all been Matsumoto's fault for pushing Renji's head down in the snow) and continued to escalate until Kira Izuru, Hinamori Momo and Hisagi Shuuhei had been drawn into it. And in the end, Renji had thrown one single misaimed snowball and managed to hit Juushirou on the back of his neck, making him let out a loud yelp when the snow slipped down on the inside of his collar. And Shunsui, always a gentleman, decided to defend his friend's honour by way of attacking Renji in return. It had been fun, and it had ended with the vice-captains' surrendering to the two captains obviously superior skills (to be fair, they had lived for a little more than two thousand years and had a lot of time to hone their aim).

"I miss that snowball-fight", Shunsui grinned and took a sip of his sake. "I don't think I've ever seen Kira-kun play like that before. And Hisagi stopped being so uptight."

Juushirou just smiled and shook his head; Shunsui had explained to him after the snowball-fight that his first priority hadn't been to "defend the honour of his friend", but rather to just vent some childishness. And luckily, the white-haired captain thought it to be a very good idea. The captain of the Eighth Division was known to be very lazy. Some people also knew him as a drunkard. Even fewer knew him as a nostalgic man. And even fewer than that knew that he actually worked very hard on keeping up the facade he normally hid behind and that he was actually a very hard-working man. But the only ones who knew just how childish and playful Shunsui could be, and how he had never stopped thinking of himself as a small boy, were actually only Juushirou, Unohana and Yamamoto. Although Juushirou liked to point out that Ise Nanao had probably figured it out.

"Was there a specific reason for you to come and visit me here", he asked and sipped his sake, glancing at the flamboyant man next to him. "Or did you just want someone to drink with and talk to?"

A pair of eyebrows flew up, and Shunsui stared, looking like someone had just told him that he was the only person in the world who thought that the sky was blue.

"Juu-chan", he yelled loudly. "You mean you have no idea about what day it is?! You're supposed to keep track of that more than me! What's with you, Juu-chan?! You're not feeling well, or what?!" He moved closer to his friend and frowned, staring into his eyes. "You can't have forgotten, Juu... Don't you know what day it is?"

A pause.

Blink.

A black eyebrow slowly lifted.

"... Saturday?"

Juushirou sounded rather unconvinced about that he should have remembered something for this day. And Shunsui mainly seemed shocked at that particular realization. Promptly, the dark-haired captain moved closer to his dear old friend.

"It's the twenty-first, Juu", he said gravely. "Are you sure you can't recall anything about that particular day? Nothing?"

Juushirou blinked slowly. Wait... The twenty-first was... He blinked again. Wait. Shunsui remembered?

"The twenty-first", he murmured, earning an eager nod. "Shunsui... Did you actually check what day it was before you went to find me?"

The flamboyant man flashed a wide grin and put an arm around his friend's neck, dragging him closer and allowing their foreheads to touch.

"Happy birthday, Juu-chan", he said with a sing-song voice. "And may you have many more!"

"... You don't even know how old I am, do you?"

"Of course I do, Juu! Let's see... About as old as me, just about five months younger?"

"And how old are you?"

"... Fine. Good point." Shunsui chuckled and shrugged. "I stopped counting because it was bothersome. And wipe that smirk off your face! You don't remember how old we are either!"

"I was merely smirking because you tried to claim you knew better than me." Juushirou smiled innocently at his old friend. "We both know that we're both hopeless, so don't act like you're so much better than me. And you know I've always had a better memory than you."

They both laughed. The past three hundred years or so, the same discussion always came up on their birthdays, and they had not tired of talking about it at all.

"Come now", Shunsui said and patted his friend's back. "Let's go, okay? It's your birthday, so let's go and do something fun!"

Juushirou smiled at him, but shook his head.

"Please, not now", he said softly. "I want to stay here for a little while... It's so peaceful."

Shunsui did not object; he knew all too well that his friend needed to relax every once in a while, especially due to his ailment. And they didn't see days like this all too often. So he calmly moved to a more comfortable position and leaned back, enjoying the (not at all warming) sunshine. Every now and then he glanced at his friend, seeing the thoughtfulness in his gaze. When almost an hour had passed, and Juushirou had not moved a single time more than sighing quietly every now and then, Shunsui started to frown.

"What's on your mind, Juu", he asked quietly. "I know that face; there is something special on your mind, and you don't want to face anyone while you're still thinking about it because you worry that it will distract you too much. So spill it."

Juushirou turned his head just a little bit, gazing towards the sky.

"I don't want to ruin your mood", he murmured. "You seem so happy... I'm a little afraid that I'll ruin it."

Shunsui raised an eyebrow and then sneakily poked his best friend between the ribs, making him yelp loudly and glare indignantly at him.

"And how much could ruin my mood on my best friend's birthday", he said with a sly smirk. "Unless a demon came and took him away from me and brought him to Hell? Was that what you meant?"

The indignant glare quickly got replaced, a gentle and slightly sad look appearing on the pale man's face. Hazel eyes shimmered slightly before they looked away.

"I heard something last time I visited the real world", he said quietly, and Shunsui raised an eyebrow. It had been a long time since that happened last. "I was standing by a graveyard, and I was about to head back... There had been a ceremony just a while earlier, and people were leaving."

The flamboyant man peered pensively at his friend.

"A funeral", he inquired. "Juu, what does this have to do with anything?"

"Everything." Juushirou smiled vaguely and looked down. "A rather young father had been buried. And a little boy was clinging to a woman... He cried, and he asked her something..." He closed his eyes. "'_Will the angels lead papa to a safe place, mommy_?'"

Shunsui blinked, but said nothing.

"She just smiled, sadly", continued the other man. "And said that the angels had made the boy's father one of them, and that he was watching over his family now." He looked up, gazing straight at Shunsui. "Angels, Shunsui... Beings of light and hope, beings that guide dead souls to a paradise... Humans believe in that, it seems..."

"Not such a bad thought", Shunsui chuckled, but then silenced himself as he noticed the look he got.

"We're shinigami", Juushirou said, a little bit louder now. "We're Death Gods. Something far away from what angels are. Death is not a good thing, Shunsui."

"Juu..."

"No, don't interrupt me. I've been thinking so much, Shunsui. I've tried to figure out what we are. Humans believe in these beacons of light and hope, don't they? They believe so hard that angels will be there when they die and guide them to the next world; they hope that angels will be able to judge where they should go... So what are we? Are we just those who spit these beings in the face and bring souls to another place, one where they can feel despair and die all the same without anyone caring? Aren't we hindering the work of the angels...?"

A deep sigh.

"A point, Juu. Please. You're rambling."

Juushirou bit his lip.

"What are we, Shunsui", he whispered, sounding almost like he was begging his friend to answer. "Are we angels? Or are we just malicious, horrible shadows of Death who bring the humans even more despair?"

For a while, they were silent. Shunsui frowned a little bit, thinking over what his friend had said. It was a rather good question, he admitted that. What were they? After thinking a little bit, he smiled his usual lazy smile and leaned back.

"Humans believe in angels because they want to believe in something good", he said. "They're afraid of dying, Juu, even though some might say that they're not. In the end, they all worry about leaving their home behind. But with the belief in angels, they have something that soothes them, something that tells them that it's alright to die, because they'll get to watch over their loved ones after they die." He eyes Juushirou carefully, still smiling as he took in the thoughtful look in the hazel eyes that stared back. "Humans don't know of our existence", he continued. "And they don't need to know. Maybe we don't bring them to paradise, true. But in more ways than one, we give them a second chance at a life, even though it's different. They get to live again, and they get to live a completely different life."

"What are you getting at", Juushirou murmured, only to be interrupted.

"You're supposed to carry the meaning of hope with you", Shunsui chided with a smile, making the white-haired captain remember the flower that symbolized the Thirteenth Division; the summer-snowflake, the flower of hope. "Think, Juu. It's okay if they don't know about us. It's okay, because as long as they have something that makes them worry less about dying, they'll be alright, don't you think? So in a way, we are angels. Does that sound good?" A grin. "Besides... if we are angels, then you're definitely the Angel of Winter."

Juushirou's thoughtful look disappeared, replaced with laughter and a wide smile.

"In that case, you're the Angel of Summer", he said and patted Shunsui's shoulder. "Ever since the Academy, we've been opposites and best friends. I won't be that kind of angel if I don't have someone to be my opposite and best friend."  
"Can't say it sounds bad. I like summer."

"You were born in the summer, you dolt. I wonder if the heat of the summer is what made you turn out so lazy..."

"You were born in the winter, and you're a workaholic. Your point?"

"Nevermind." Juushirou chuckled and shook his head.

Then, he blinked as something with a deep moss-green colour was placed over his shoulders and wrapped around his neck. A scarf.

"You'll catch your death in this cold", chided Shunsui with a soft tone and patted Juushirou on the head. "And happy birthday, little captain. I hope you like your present. It took me a while to make it; I've been slaving away on that since October."

Juushirou couldn't help but smile warmly and nuzzle into the warm fabric. He and Unohana were the only ones who knew that Shunsui was actually good at knitting (to be fair, he had learned it from watching Juushirou over a course of five years), and he really liked to get this kind of presents from at least one person. Simple but thoughtful things. People normally did give him things that he needed or had wished for, but Shunsui liked to be "original"; since Juushirou's mother wasn't there to look after him, someone had to make sure that the white-haired man wouldn't end up catching his death because of a cold. And Shunsui was happy to do it, of course.

Because...

Angels had to look after each other, after all, especially when they were opposites and trusted each other in the way that these two men did.

"Let's go, Casanova", Shunsui said and pulled Juushirou to his feet. "People are waiting to congratulate you on surviving yet another year, you know. And I think your family sent you gifts this year too."

Juushirou just smiled and nodded, wrapping the scarf a little tighter around his neck. He felt strangely proud to wear it, so he wouldn't take it off until he actually had to. After all, the summer-child that was his best friend would start to fuss if he did.


End file.
